Brain Injury

Cerebral Palsy Lawyers

Chicago Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that can affect sensation, muscle control, head control, walking, muscle tone, coordination, balance and cognitive functioning.  Cerebral palsy is typically the result of a brain injury suffered during childbirth.

Cerebral palsy may be caused by mistakes made during the baby’s delivery and birth, such as misuse of forceps or vacuum extraction.  Although it is not a genetic disorder or disease and is not easily predicted, many of the causes of cerebral palsy are preventable with proper medical care.  Unfortunately, mistakes made by negligent doctors, nurses or other medical professionals can affect a family for life.  The Chicago area cerebral palsy attorneys at Ankin Law Offices can help you determine whether negligence was the cause of your child's injuries.

Decreased oxygen or blood flow to the baby’s brain prior to birth can also cause brain injury.  Because brain injuries during delivery are rare, it is usually the result of medical negligence.

Some of the possible causes of cerebral palsy include:
•    Failure to adequately monitor the mother or infant before, during and after childbirth
•    Failure to take prompt action when signs of fetal distress are present
•    Inattentive medical personnel
•    Failure to properly administer pitocin
•    Failure to perform a timely c-section when necessary

Symptoms of cerebral palsy include poor motor skills, balance problems, poor coordination, seizures and hypertonic or hypotonic muscle control.  If your child displays some or all of these symptoms, you should consult a medical professional to obtain a diagnosis.

You may also wish to consult with an experienced Chicago area medical malpractice attorney regarding your child's cerebral palsy.  Ankin Law Offices specializes in handling medical malpractice matters, including those causing birth injuries such as cerebral palsy.  We work with medical professionals to review pertinent medical records including ultrasounds, fetal heart rate monitoring tapes, fetal PH scalp sampling and prenatal and delivery room records to determine whether the child’s cerebral palsy could have been prevented.